X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy of Picrolite Raw Material on Cyprus
Picrolite artefacts comprise some of the most distinctive material remains in the prehistory of the island of Cyprus, in the Eastern Mediterranean. Picrolite exploitation dates from at least 12,000 years ago for the manufacture of personal ornaments and items with a symbolic function. It is commonly...
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MDPI AG
2022-03-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2571-9408/5/2/37 |
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| author | Theodora Moutsiou Demetrios Ioannides Andreas Charalambous Sebastian Schöder Sam M. Webb Mathieu Thoury Vasiliki Kassianidou Zomenia Zomeni Christian Reepmeyer |
| author_facet | Theodora Moutsiou Demetrios Ioannides Andreas Charalambous Sebastian Schöder Sam M. Webb Mathieu Thoury Vasiliki Kassianidou Zomenia Zomeni Christian Reepmeyer |
| author_sort | Theodora Moutsiou |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Picrolite artefacts comprise some of the most distinctive material remains in the prehistory of the island of Cyprus, in the Eastern Mediterranean. Picrolite exploitation dates from at least 12,000 years ago for the manufacture of personal ornaments and items with a symbolic function. It is commonly assumed that picrolite nodules were collected in secondary deposits on an ad hoc basis. This narrative, however, ignores the fact that picrolite carriers can only be found in very specific locations on the island, discrete from each other. Here we report initial outcomes of the application of handheld portable X-ray fluorescence (HHpXRF) and synchrotron-based X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (SR-μXRF) to the analysis of picrolite raw materials performed at the newly opened PUMA beamline of the SOLEIL Synchrotron Radiation Facility. Our work refines the basic characteristics of the elemental constituents of the picrolite raw material and highlights key micro-structural differences between two distinct source regions on the Troodos Massif in western Cyprus. Picrolite source characterisation is expected to contribute significant new knowledge to the study of rare raw material consumption, prehistoric social organisation, networking and possible long-distance exchange of this idiosyncratic raw material within and beyond the island’s geographic boundaries. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T23:39:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-424427e89f0b4e73953d3140bef49220 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2571-9408 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T23:39:48Z |
| publishDate | 2022-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Heritage |
| spelling | doaj.art-424427e89f0b4e73953d3140bef492202023-11-23T16:54:10ZengMDPI AGHeritage2571-94082022-03-015266467610.3390/heritage5020037X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy of Picrolite Raw Material on CyprusTheodora Moutsiou0Demetrios Ioannides1Andreas Charalambous2Sebastian Schöder3Sam M. Webb4Mathieu Thoury5Vasiliki Kassianidou6Zomenia Zomeni7Christian Reepmeyer8Archaeological Research Unit, University of Cyprus, P.O. Box 20537, Nicosia 1678, CyprusArchaeological Research Unit, University of Cyprus, P.O. Box 20537, Nicosia 1678, CyprusArchaeological Research Unit, University of Cyprus, P.O. Box 20537, Nicosia 1678, CyprusPUMA Beamline, Synchrotron SOLEIL, Saint-Aubin BP48, F-91192 Gif-sur-Yvette, FranceSLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University, 2575 Sand Hill Rd., Mailstop 0069, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USAIPANEMA, Synchrotron SOLEIL, Saint-Aubin BP48, F-91192 Gif-sur-Yvette, FranceArchaeological Research Unit, University of Cyprus, P.O. Box 20537, Nicosia 1678, CyprusGeological Survey Department, P.O. Box 24543, Lefkosia 1301, CyprusArchaeological Research Unit, University of Cyprus, P.O. Box 20537, Nicosia 1678, CyprusPicrolite artefacts comprise some of the most distinctive material remains in the prehistory of the island of Cyprus, in the Eastern Mediterranean. Picrolite exploitation dates from at least 12,000 years ago for the manufacture of personal ornaments and items with a symbolic function. It is commonly assumed that picrolite nodules were collected in secondary deposits on an ad hoc basis. This narrative, however, ignores the fact that picrolite carriers can only be found in very specific locations on the island, discrete from each other. Here we report initial outcomes of the application of handheld portable X-ray fluorescence (HHpXRF) and synchrotron-based X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (SR-μXRF) to the analysis of picrolite raw materials performed at the newly opened PUMA beamline of the SOLEIL Synchrotron Radiation Facility. Our work refines the basic characteristics of the elemental constituents of the picrolite raw material and highlights key micro-structural differences between two distinct source regions on the Troodos Massif in western Cyprus. Picrolite source characterisation is expected to contribute significant new knowledge to the study of rare raw material consumption, prehistoric social organisation, networking and possible long-distance exchange of this idiosyncratic raw material within and beyond the island’s geographic boundaries.https://www.mdpi.com/2571-9408/5/2/37picroliteX-ray fluorescencesynchrotron microspectroscopysourcingCyprus |
| spellingShingle | Theodora Moutsiou Demetrios Ioannides Andreas Charalambous Sebastian Schöder Sam M. Webb Mathieu Thoury Vasiliki Kassianidou Zomenia Zomeni Christian Reepmeyer X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy of Picrolite Raw Material on Cyprus Heritage picrolite X-ray fluorescence synchrotron microspectroscopy sourcing Cyprus |
| title | X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy of Picrolite Raw Material on Cyprus |
| title_full | X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy of Picrolite Raw Material on Cyprus |
| title_fullStr | X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy of Picrolite Raw Material on Cyprus |
| title_full_unstemmed | X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy of Picrolite Raw Material on Cyprus |
| title_short | X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy of Picrolite Raw Material on Cyprus |
| title_sort | x ray fluorescence spectroscopy of picrolite raw material on cyprus |
| topic | picrolite X-ray fluorescence synchrotron microspectroscopy sourcing Cyprus |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2571-9408/5/2/37 |
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